Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

[CrookTele]

Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..
I have been pondering the though if gigging one night without any effects. Just a boost, tuner, wah, and an overdrive. And by effects I mean anything like chorus, phaser, delay, reverb, or modulation. I am gonna try this weekend with a complete dry signal to maybe help my playing and become a "cleaner" player.

How may of you play with a dry signal?
Does it help you become a better player?

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

Why not give up the distortion and the wah too, at least for a while? I really think playing clean will help you become a better player. I think playing with massive amounts of distortion becomes a crutch to many players, as does some of the other effects like delay. (I'd really like to hear Satriani, Vai, et. al., sit down with a couple of Martin dreads or a Ramirez classical and just PLAY. I'd buy that, I really would.)

I have all of the basic effects on my board, but I really try to limit myself from using them. On a four-hour gig, I probably use each pedal less than 4-5 times a night. I play a lot of clean solos without any distortion, too. And when I stomp on the Lead Channel of the Mark IV Boogie, people know it. :cool2:

You don't want to be the doofus at the jam session that is going WACKA-WACKA-WACKA on his new wah pedal on every note of every song. Don't be that guy.

Learn the secrets of making great tone with just your fingers and the guitar. When it comes to effects, it's all about using them tastefully.

Good luck.

Bill

 

[CrookTele]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

Why not give up the distortion and the wah too, at least for a while? I really think playing clean will help you become a better player. I think playing with massive amounts of distortion becomes a crutch to many players, as does some of the other effects like delay. (I'd really like to hear Satriani, Vai, et. al., sit down with a couple of Martin dreads or a Ramirez classical and just PLAY. I'd buy that, I really would.)

I have all of the basic effects on my board, but I really try to limit myself from using them. On a four-hour gig, I probably use each pedal less than 4-5 times a night. I play a lot of clean solos without any distortion, too. And when I stomp on the Lead Channel of the Mark IV Boogie, people know it. :cool2:

You don't want to be the doofus at the jam session that is going WACKA-WACKA-WACKA on his new wah pedal on every note of every song. Don't be that guy.

Learn the secrets of making great tone with just your fingers and the guitar. When it comes to effects, it's all about using them tastefully.

Good luck.

Bill

I may use a Wah a few times a night but in a few songs that actually use it. I play a lot of songs that use distortion. So I usually use a boost on it. The tap dancing is whats getting me, but I usually use the delay and reverb as a crutch to help ease some mistakes.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

chorus, phaser, delay, reverb, or modulation.

I like diff types of distortion/fuzz for diff songs

dont like chorus/phaser for anything at all!!!

delay and reverb seem natureal type stuff, and wah is for tasteful every 4 songs type of thing methinkz...

 

[karpathion]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

Hello, my name is karpathion. I've been clean from effects for 15 months now.

Where's my keychain, *****es?

 

[esandes]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

i've never been big into effects. i see it more as a novelty. so, no i just plug straight in. the most i use is a wah or tube screamer.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

All in moderation. Unless your in a rage against the machine cover band your not going need/use tons. I only use 3 modulated efx and they are delay chorus and phaser. Each used sparingly. A subtle chorus (not nirvana come as your are) gives off a nice shimmer for single note songs. Phaser is a nice change of pace I let a chord ring out or spice up a solo. Delay is nice to either add depth to those single note pickings or riffs.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

I pretty much use overdrive, delay a touch of reverb sometimes and compression and that's it. I'm more about different amp tones.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

For most gigs I use either an overdrive or a fuzz pedal, that's about it. (Oh, and a bit of reverb on one of my amps)

 

[wickenspoet]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

I see how some people might say effects pedals are distracting, and they can be if you're tweaking all the time... but a fun stomp box can also make playing more fun... which means playing and practicing more often.

As a music listener... before I ever touched a guitar, I liked bands that used offbeat sounds like Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode. Still holds true for me today.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

I highly prefer playing without effects. For me, pedals are just one more thing to have to do simultaneously with playing, so I think I play better, sing better, and put on a better show than when I have pedals. I think you should go ahead and try it out.

I have started using them, though, because they offer a few useful sounds for the band I'm in. But at least 75 percent of the time, I've got all the pedals bypassed, and my tone is all guitar and amp. I also have a stripped-down version that I often use, which consists of a tuner, a clean boost (used for rhythm when the other guitarist is playing a lead), and a recently-added treble boost, which is a really great tone shift to have on tap, especially when using the neck pickup. (With this version, I leave out the tremolo, fuzz tone, and noise gate). That said, I have zero qualms about doing a set without pedals. I'd go for it. You'll feel much freer IMO.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

All in moderation.

+1. A moderate amount of gain and reverb are primarily what I use. Anything else is a little here and there. You need a good basic tone and shouldn't be dependent on pedals. Using a lot of effects throughout a gig gets tiring to listen to. Gets too gimmicky. They're great for impact in a few well-chosen spots, but you don't want to hide behind them. After all, you're playing a guitar, not some weird thing from outer space.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

Most of the time I'm happy with just my guitar into my amp. I don't need a delay, but it's nice to add a subtle texture to leads. Trem is fun for a few chords here or there, but it's not something used often and it's definitely not a crutch. If I had any more than a few extra sounds to choose from I think I'd be lost, so I prefer straightforward playing and tone textures.

 

[mwalluk]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

How much "tap dancing" are you really doing with efx? If I wanna slam the front end of my amp with a OD, I step on to engage when needed then step off when not need. Same can be said with my fat boost.

In terms of adding chorus, delay and/or Phaser to a clean rhythm or single note picking, I step it on and off. Takes literally less than a second. If I need to efx at the same time, I put the pedals next to each other so I can turn them both on at the same time or you find a part in the song where you can blend it in while disengaging in sequence.

Not much tap dancing but rather multi tasking.

I don't see a small pedalboard as a crutch, but rather addittional spices used for cooking. Too much and your dish taste like crap, too little and the dish is too bland. Once again, all in moderation.

My question to the OP, is really how much efx are you using? If it's becoming overbearing, then ya certainly try to cut back. If it's not and your using them in moderation, don't fix it if it ain't broke.

 

[Mattr4president]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

I have been effect pedal free for 3 months now lol. Yeah I think it's like anything else. I got burned out fighting with the details of tweaking effects and such, I took a step back and I'm just enjoying my amp now. I'm even debating removing the ns2 but it's hard to use hi gain live without it.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

I see a small pedalboard as... additional spices used for cooking. Too much and your dish taste like crap, too little and the dish is too bland. Once again, all in moderation.

Good analogy.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

there are plenty of gigs i plug straight in. if its my 5e3 then no reverb, if its my deluxe reverb then the reverb is on 3.

effects arent necessarily bad but they tend to be over used tone suckers

 

[ErikH]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

My pedalboard has gone from nothing, to a small one, to using a homemade larger one, back to a small one, to a PT-2 and I'm back down to the small one and selling everything else. I've come to realize, yet again, that I'm just not one for a lot of effects and such.

My pedalboard now has the wireless receiver, delay, tuner and amp footswitch. I use the delay here and there for some lead stuff. My amp has reverb in it so I use that to add some ambiance to my overall sound.

 

[H8Red442]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

I have four pedals. A wah that gets very little use, a reverb and delay that i set to be barely noticeable just enough for a little depth and a chorus pedal for that shimmery sound I like sometimes when playing clean.

For the better part of 20 years I used zero effects. I only bought the few pedals I do have about a year ago when I just couldn't take that dry clean tone out of my Mesa Recto and just wanted to soften it a bit, provide some depth and not make it sound like I was playing out of shoe box.

 

[Markk]

Re: Using effects or not using effects... That is the question..

Moderation is the key word...and appropriate timing. Some songs just simply don't need a given effect. Some beg for it. (imagine U2 without delay...)